WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:04.219 Sharing good news of great joy to all people. 00:00:04.679 --> 00:00:10.759 Elation Church. This is week number 10 in our 00:00:10.759 --> 00:00:13.800 series we've entitled, Hello, My Name is God. 00:00:13.900 --> 00:00:16.719 Everybody say that. Hello, my name is God. And 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:20.059 we've been looking at God's names. You know, 00:00:20.100 --> 00:00:22.239 God has a lot of different names. He's revealed 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:25.000 all these different names to us through the Bible. 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:28.460 And what we've learned is that there's a promise 00:00:28.460 --> 00:00:32.880 connected to his name. I'll make sure everybody's 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:35.420 listening. I'm looking. Yeah, there's a promise 00:00:35.420 --> 00:00:37.880 connected to his name, and that's what we've 00:00:37.880 --> 00:00:41.100 been looking at. So this has been 10 weeks, and 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:43.020 there's so many great things that we've learned. 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:45.939 But there's a lot to a name. There's actually 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:48.619 three things. What's in a name? Names signify 00:00:48.619 --> 00:00:51.479 identity. I want everybody to say that. Say identity. 00:00:52.359 --> 00:00:55.799 Names signify identity. Like for me, example, 00:00:56.060 --> 00:00:59.880 my full name is Jeffrey Nathaniel Forrest. But 00:00:59.880 --> 00:01:02.159 the only time someone ever calls me that is if 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:05.500 I'm in trouble. Did you ever have parents call 00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:07.659 all three names or however many names you have? 00:01:07.739 --> 00:01:09.200 You know, if you were in trouble, they're like, 00:01:09.299 --> 00:01:12.439 Jeffrey Nathaniel Forrest, you know. But everyone 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:16.060 just calls me Jeffrey. Another identity name 00:01:16.060 --> 00:01:19.859 that I have is Christian. It's not just something 00:01:19.859 --> 00:01:22.180 that I practice. It's not just a religion that 00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:25.159 I do on the side. No, it's my identity. It's 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:29.260 who I am and how I identify myself as a Christian. 00:01:30.980 --> 00:01:34.379 Names also signify, everybody say identity. Everybody 00:01:34.379 --> 00:01:37.760 say relationship. Names signify relationship. 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:40.599 So I'm a cousin. Some little things about me. 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:44.000 I'm a cousin. I'm a nephew. I'm a son to my parents. 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:47.040 These are my parents that I'm singing with. Mom 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:50.719 calls me her favorite son. Now, this is kind 00:01:50.719 --> 00:01:52.859 of funny because if you know, I'm the only child. 00:01:54.459 --> 00:01:57.799 So, you know, I've just said, I'm just going 00:01:57.799 --> 00:01:59.640 to take it as a compliment, you know, that I'm 00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:02.879 just, I'm her favorite son. I'm a husband to 00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:05.140 my lovely wife, Caitlin. She's taking care of 00:02:05.140 --> 00:02:07.659 the children this morning. Like we said, we've 00:02:07.659 --> 00:02:10.759 been married eight years on Tuesday. That's awesome. 00:02:11.550 --> 00:02:13.990 But she doesn't call me husband. Oh, husband, 00:02:14.210 --> 00:02:16.889 come here and do the dishes. Oh, husband, do 00:02:16.889 --> 00:02:18.669 the dishes. No, she don't do anything like that. 00:02:18.849 --> 00:02:21.750 She usually calls me honey. One time she test 00:02:21.750 --> 00:02:24.750 drove Pookie, and I shut that down. I said, I 00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:26.870 don't want to be called Pookie. That's not okay. 00:02:27.069 --> 00:02:30.949 We're not doing that. Names signify identity. 00:02:31.310 --> 00:02:34.789 Names signify relationship. And also names signify 00:02:34.789 --> 00:02:38.729 activity, what a person does. So like some things 00:02:38.729 --> 00:02:41.919 about me. is I'm a student. I've been a musician. 00:02:42.120 --> 00:02:45.060 I've been a recording artist. I have a PhD in 00:02:45.060 --> 00:02:48.099 philosophy and Christian apologetics. So I know 00:02:48.099 --> 00:02:51.460 a whole lot about very little. I've been a sound 00:02:51.460 --> 00:02:54.580 engineer, a worship leader, been a professional 00:02:54.580 --> 00:02:58.039 photographer before, senior citizens aerobics 00:02:58.039 --> 00:03:00.539 instructor. I've been an alligator wrestler. 00:03:00.759 --> 00:03:03.400 No, I'm just kidding. I'm just making sure you're 00:03:03.400 --> 00:03:07.250 paying attention. I've been a DJ on the weekends. 00:03:07.930 --> 00:03:10.650 I was a custodian at Disney right when we moved 00:03:10.650 --> 00:03:12.530 here for a little bit. I was a custodian at Disney 00:03:12.530 --> 00:03:17.849 for a while. That's where I met Colin. I'm an 00:03:17.849 --> 00:03:20.569 evangelist, a chaplain, preacher, and I'm the 00:03:20.569 --> 00:03:22.870 associate pastor here at Alation Church. That's 00:03:22.870 --> 00:03:25.169 a lot of names, right? It's a lot of names, 16 00:03:25.169 --> 00:03:28.349 names, in fact, but I'm just one person. And 00:03:28.349 --> 00:03:29.889 you might be like, well, Jeffrey, why do you 00:03:29.889 --> 00:03:32.759 keep talking about yourself? We're trying to 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:36.280 prove a point here that names carry weight to 00:03:36.280 --> 00:03:39.240 them. It's not just information. It's just knowledge. 00:03:39.340 --> 00:03:42.879 It actually reveals who someone is. It reveals 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:45.280 what kind of relationship they have with the 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:47.819 people around them and then the activity and 00:03:47.819 --> 00:03:50.500 things that they do. And with God, when we look 00:03:50.500 --> 00:03:54.520 at his names, we've learned 10 names now, we're 00:03:54.520 --> 00:03:57.400 not looking at different gods. It's just one 00:03:57.400 --> 00:04:00.969 God, right? And he's revealed himself. by these 00:04:00.969 --> 00:04:04.270 different names, okay? So he's just one God. 00:04:04.409 --> 00:04:06.870 So what is in a name? Identity, relationship, 00:04:07.129 --> 00:04:11.310 activity. And the Bible says in Psalms 910, this 00:04:11.310 --> 00:04:13.650 is our main text through the series, it says, 00:04:13.729 --> 00:04:16.550 and those who know your name will put their trust 00:04:16.550 --> 00:04:20.569 in you. For you, Lord, have not forsaken those 00:04:20.569 --> 00:04:25.189 who seek you. You see, it's so important to know 00:04:25.189 --> 00:04:29.509 God's name. And it's so important to know him. 00:04:30.250 --> 00:04:33.009 And when I say that, your immediate response 00:04:33.009 --> 00:04:36.689 is to say, well, oh, I know him. I know about 00:04:36.689 --> 00:04:38.870 him. The Bible says that the demons even know 00:04:38.870 --> 00:04:42.589 about him. But the important thing as a Christian, 00:04:42.649 --> 00:04:45.949 we're supposed to know him, have an intimate 00:04:45.949 --> 00:04:49.649 relationship with him. That changes the way we 00:04:49.649 --> 00:04:53.870 live from the inside out. It's not just casual 00:04:53.870 --> 00:04:56.389 relationship. It's intimate relationship with 00:04:56.389 --> 00:05:00.699 him. Amen. We're supposed to know him and we 00:05:00.699 --> 00:05:05.620 know him more and more when we know about him, 00:05:05.740 --> 00:05:07.939 the relationship that he wants to have with us, 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:10.959 his activity in the world around us. That's how 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:14.620 we get to know him more and more and more. So 00:05:14.620 --> 00:05:16.819 that's what we're laboring to do when we're looking 00:05:16.819 --> 00:05:19.839 at the names of God is simply to get to know 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:22.319 God more. How many of you want to know God more? 00:05:22.680 --> 00:05:26.259 Every day, our desire needs to be that we want 00:05:26.259 --> 00:05:29.600 to know. God more. We want to experience him 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:34.040 more real and more real each and every day. And 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:36.300 we can put our trust in him. See, when we know 00:05:36.300 --> 00:05:39.139 who he is, the relationship he wants to have 00:05:39.139 --> 00:05:41.639 with us, and his activity in the world, trying 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:44.439 to recap a little bit, that's how faith begins. 00:05:45.100 --> 00:05:47.660 That's why we can have faith. When we know who 00:05:47.660 --> 00:05:51.100 he is and what he does, that's where faith forms. 00:05:51.740 --> 00:05:54.439 That's where we have something to stand on. Because 00:05:54.439 --> 00:05:56.879 it's not just, well, I heard some preacher say 00:05:56.879 --> 00:05:58.860 this one day, and so therefore that's who God 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:03.220 is. No, it's this, I know this is God, I know 00:06:03.220 --> 00:06:05.339 this is what He does, and this is the relationship 00:06:05.339 --> 00:06:08.660 that He wants to have with me, because I've heard 00:06:08.660 --> 00:06:11.319 it, I've read it in the Word. And so therefore 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:15.319 I can stand on it, I can have faith that He will 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:18.800 not forsake me, He will not turn His back on 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:22.439 me. He will not leave me. He will not leave me 00:06:22.439 --> 00:06:27.939 high and dry. When I seek him, when I seek him, 00:06:28.040 --> 00:06:31.620 when I trust him, confidently hope and expect, 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:35.259 not hope so, but know so, out of that relationship, 00:06:35.540 --> 00:06:40.560 I can hold him because God is faithful. So I 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:43.480 can hold him accountable because I can stand 00:06:43.480 --> 00:06:48.180 firm on who he is. Amen? Today, Our name for 00:06:48.180 --> 00:06:52.379 God is Yahweh Mekadeshkum. Yahweh Mekadeshkum. 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:56.420 Yahweh, it means this, and as we've seen in previous 00:06:56.420 --> 00:07:01.019 weeks, Yahweh means I am that I am. It's God's 00:07:01.019 --> 00:07:06.319 eternal name. It means simply to always be or 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:09.779 exist. To always be or exist. We've talked about 00:07:09.779 --> 00:07:15.199 that in previous weeks. Mekadeshkum is another 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:19.029 compound word here. Kodesh is all throughout 00:07:19.029 --> 00:07:21.829 the Old Testament and simply means consecrate, 00:07:21.829 --> 00:07:27.410 sanctify, set apart, and make holy. And what's 00:07:27.410 --> 00:07:31.370 interesting about this, the meh means who, kim 00:07:31.370 --> 00:07:35.050 is personal, it means you. So when you put this 00:07:35.050 --> 00:07:38.449 together, this concept together for God's name, 00:07:38.629 --> 00:07:43.850 it means I am the one who consecrates, sanctifies, 00:07:44.069 --> 00:07:50.240 sets apart, and makes holy. you holy this is 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:55.920 god's name that he's the one who makes you holy 00:07:55.920 --> 00:08:00.879 amen it's not based on our work our effort right 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:04.899 it's he's the one who makes us holy he's the 00:08:04.899 --> 00:08:07.699 one who sets us apart he's the one who sanctifies 00:08:07.699 --> 00:08:16.509 us can i get an amen amen this name is only given 00:08:16.509 --> 00:08:19.350 three times in the Old Testament. I mean, only 00:08:19.350 --> 00:08:21.930 given four times in the Old Testament, even though 00:08:21.930 --> 00:08:26.350 Kadesh is given like over 170 times. This name 00:08:26.350 --> 00:08:30.629 specifically is given four. And the first time 00:08:30.629 --> 00:08:34.230 God reveals to us this name is in Exodus 31, 00:08:34.429 --> 00:08:39.769 13. And it says this, listen, it, the law, the 00:08:39.769 --> 00:08:42.070 instructions God gave to his people on Mount 00:08:42.070 --> 00:08:46.610 Sinai, is given so that you may know. that I 00:08:46.610 --> 00:08:51.370 am the Lord who makes you holy. Yahweh Mekadeshkim. 00:08:52.509 --> 00:08:56.529 So, what is this saying? It's the law then was 00:08:56.529 --> 00:09:00.330 a promise to the Israelites that God had chose 00:09:00.330 --> 00:09:04.690 them. He had set them apart. From who? From the 00:09:04.690 --> 00:09:08.750 surrounding nations. To be different. They were 00:09:08.750 --> 00:09:10.929 supposed to be different than everyone else that 00:09:10.929 --> 00:09:12.169 they were around. They were supposed to be different. 00:09:12.230 --> 00:09:14.269 And then they were supposed to be blessed because 00:09:14.269 --> 00:09:17.940 of it. Because God was the one who made them 00:09:17.940 --> 00:09:21.559 holy, right? That's what it says. That's who 00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:23.720 God is, and that's how he's revealed himself 00:09:23.720 --> 00:09:29.039 to them. God is holy. That's not a fact that 00:09:29.039 --> 00:09:33.320 we wrestle with. We know that God is holy. God's 00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:36.799 holiness is found in his identity of who he is, 00:09:36.899 --> 00:09:39.740 right? It's his identity, but it's also revealed 00:09:39.740 --> 00:09:43.480 here, like we said, God's activity to his people. 00:09:44.029 --> 00:09:46.110 And therefore, what the verse is saying is that 00:09:46.110 --> 00:09:50.409 Israel is holy because God made them holy. It's 00:09:50.409 --> 00:09:52.049 their position. Everybody say their position. 00:09:52.470 --> 00:09:55.809 It's their identity. Say their identity, right? 00:09:56.309 --> 00:09:59.570 Grounded and found in who God has made them, 00:09:59.750 --> 00:10:04.230 okay? Another time this name for God is given 00:10:04.230 --> 00:10:08.850 is in Leviticus 27 through 8. Listen to this. 00:10:09.110 --> 00:10:12.250 It says, so set yourselves apart to be holy. 00:10:12.940 --> 00:10:15.639 For I am the Lord your God. Keep all my decrees 00:10:15.639 --> 00:10:19.080 by putting them into practice. For I am the Lord 00:10:19.080 --> 00:10:25.120 who makes you holy. It's interesting that verse 00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:28.240 7, it says, So set yourselves apart. God is telling 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:31.600 his people to set themselves apart. And that 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:34.539 word is called ash again, meaning to consecrate, 00:10:34.539 --> 00:10:37.320 sanctify, set apart, make holy. And then he's 00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:42.070 saying Yahweh Elohim. learned in previous weeks 00:10:42.070 --> 00:10:45.350 so he's saying that i am that i am the supreme 00:10:45.350 --> 00:10:49.110 god so he's saying set yourselves apart to be 00:10:49.110 --> 00:10:52.730 holy for i am the supreme god the supreme one 00:10:52.730 --> 00:10:56.909 the highest one right which kind of is like a 00:10:56.909 --> 00:10:59.389 little bit different than what the latter right 00:10:59.389 --> 00:11:00.929 it's a little bit different we're kind of like 00:11:00.929 --> 00:11:04.409 what what are you saying see setting themselves 00:11:04.409 --> 00:11:06.889 apart what did that look like for the israelites 00:11:06.889 --> 00:11:10.000 it meant living differently by a different standard, 00:11:10.139 --> 00:11:14.080 by a different set of rules, according to a promise 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:17.419 that God had given them that brings protection 00:11:17.419 --> 00:11:22.580 and blessing. It brings protection and blessing. 00:11:24.139 --> 00:11:28.679 You see, I'm going to keep going before I get 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:31.919 bogged down. Verse 8 says, Keep all my decrees 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:35.139 by putting them into practice. And then we see 00:11:35.139 --> 00:11:38.480 this name. Yahweh Mekadeshim, for I am the Lord 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:41.379 who makes you holy. So there's three things. 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:44.340 Three things we need to take away from this. 00:11:44.419 --> 00:11:47.480 God is holy. Everybody say, God is holy. And 00:11:47.480 --> 00:11:50.980 he's made Israel his holy people. And then he's 00:11:50.980 --> 00:11:56.779 commanding them to be holy. God is holy. And 00:11:56.779 --> 00:11:59.159 as the verse is saying, he's made Israel his 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:02.460 holy people, because that's who he is. But then 00:12:02.460 --> 00:12:08.190 also he's commanding them. To be holy. So why 00:12:08.190 --> 00:12:10.049 is God telling them? This is a valid question, 00:12:10.169 --> 00:12:12.769 right? Why is God telling them to be holy when 00:12:12.769 --> 00:12:15.649 he's already made them holy, right? To some, 00:12:15.649 --> 00:12:17.370 it might seem like almost like a contradiction 00:12:17.370 --> 00:12:20.529 or something like that. Why is God telling them 00:12:20.529 --> 00:12:22.470 to be holy when he's already made them holy? 00:12:22.590 --> 00:12:27.049 Well, we know that holiness is theirs. It's their 00:12:27.049 --> 00:12:30.830 God -given identity and position. But we also 00:12:30.830 --> 00:12:35.169 know that man has free will. God has given them 00:12:35.169 --> 00:12:38.990 a free will, free choice to do what they want 00:12:38.990 --> 00:12:42.809 to do in the earth, right? This is how love is 00:12:42.809 --> 00:12:45.990 available. This is how we can genuinely love 00:12:45.990 --> 00:12:48.769 him because we have a decision to love him or 00:12:48.769 --> 00:12:51.590 not, right? So we have free will in the earth. 00:12:51.970 --> 00:12:55.950 But the Israelites, they have a choice. So it's 00:12:55.950 --> 00:12:58.269 their identity, it's their God -given position, 00:12:58.309 --> 00:13:01.750 but they have a choice to live according to who 00:13:01.750 --> 00:13:07.049 God made them to be. Are not. They had a choice. 00:13:07.769 --> 00:13:10.870 To live according to the world. Or according 00:13:10.870 --> 00:13:14.889 to the word. God spoke to them. And the promises 00:13:14.889 --> 00:13:18.230 that he made to them. Are we on? We tracking? 00:13:18.409 --> 00:13:21.009 Everybody's good? I see some heads. See some 00:13:21.009 --> 00:13:22.730 heads going. We're bobbleheading. I like it. 00:13:24.330 --> 00:13:29.429 And listen. When God makes them holy. When he 00:13:29.429 --> 00:13:33.320 chooses Israel as his holy nation. That in itself 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:38.519 gives them the opportunity to escape the consequences 00:13:38.519 --> 00:13:43.080 of sin. That's why he gave them the law and he's 00:13:43.080 --> 00:13:44.879 telling them to live according to it. It was 00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:47.019 for their blessing. It was for their protection 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:51.940 in a land that was very hostile. And it gives 00:13:51.940 --> 00:13:55.000 them the opportunity to escape the corruption 00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:58.659 of sin in the earth. They can escape disease. 00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:01.159 And if you go through and you listen to it, there 00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:03.700 was a lot of disease going around. There's a 00:14:03.700 --> 00:14:06.080 lot of famine. There's times of famine. There's 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:09.179 times of lack, right? And they're saying, and 00:14:09.179 --> 00:14:13.000 God's promises were, if you obey me, if you keep 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:17.259 my commands. See, each time God gave this name, 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:20.000 what's interesting, the four times, it's always 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:24.789 in a list of do's and don'ts. When God says, 00:14:24.850 --> 00:14:27.070 I'm the one who makes you holy, it's always in 00:14:27.070 --> 00:14:30.769 a list of do this, don't do this, be this, don't 00:14:30.769 --> 00:14:33.690 be like this. And then he says, I'm the one who 00:14:33.690 --> 00:14:36.169 makes you holy. So they have this opportunity 00:14:36.169 --> 00:14:39.909 to escape the disease, the famine, the chaos, 00:14:40.049 --> 00:14:43.269 the destructive behaviors and consequences of 00:14:43.269 --> 00:14:47.610 the culture around them. But God making them 00:14:47.610 --> 00:14:50.669 holy also gives them the opportunity to experience 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:55.139 protection to experience peace in the land blessing 00:14:55.139 --> 00:14:57.700 and favor but it was their choice everybody say 00:14:57.700 --> 00:15:04.419 it was their choice it was their choice and god 00:15:04.419 --> 00:15:11.059 has not changed he is the same yesterday today 00:15:11.059 --> 00:15:17.740 and forever isn't that encouraging because you 00:15:17.740 --> 00:15:21.820 know you and i will We'll change, right? Maybe 00:15:21.820 --> 00:15:24.440 next year I'll be a little different. Hopefully 00:15:24.440 --> 00:15:26.299 I'm a little more like Christ than I am today. 00:15:27.100 --> 00:15:29.259 And we're all on a path and we're all on a journey, 00:15:29.320 --> 00:15:33.100 but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:37.879 Amen? He's consistent. He is faithful. He is 00:15:37.879 --> 00:15:43.259 dependable. He is the same. He has not changed. 00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:51.320 And we are. Everybody say, I am. I am his holy 00:15:51.320 --> 00:16:00.279 people. And listen, not just the Israelites. 00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:03.179 It's the same for them. We're under a new covenant, 00:16:03.220 --> 00:16:07.580 but he still commands us to live a holy, set 00:16:07.580 --> 00:16:14.559 -apart life. I want to read some verses. Ephesians 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:16.720 1 .4, if you're in your Bible, you can turn there. 00:16:17.419 --> 00:16:21.399 Reading out of the NLT, and it's up here on the 00:16:21.399 --> 00:16:24.980 screen. Listen, even before he made the world, 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:30.340 God loved us and chose us in Christ. It's important 00:16:30.340 --> 00:16:36.779 to be holy and without fault in his eyes. What 00:16:36.779 --> 00:16:40.500 does that mean? It means that before the world 00:16:40.500 --> 00:16:44.580 was made, before anything, God chose and he loved 00:16:44.580 --> 00:16:50.220 those who would one day, come to him, repent 00:16:50.220 --> 00:16:55.600 of their sin, and be made new, would surrender 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:58.759 to die to their flesh and be made new to him 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:03.500 and be seated in him, be identified with Christ 00:17:03.500 --> 00:17:06.940 in death, burial, resurrection. Now we are alive. 00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:11.740 Amen. So if we are in Christ, guess what? Is 00:17:11.740 --> 00:17:18.329 Jesus holy? Of course. Jesus is holy. And if 00:17:18.329 --> 00:17:23.589 I'm in Christ, listen, I am holy. So don't let 00:17:23.589 --> 00:17:26.670 anyone or anybody tell you that I'm not. You 00:17:26.670 --> 00:17:29.250 know, I'm not that. I can't be that. That's only 00:17:29.250 --> 00:17:31.890 reserved for God. Well, guess what? If you are 00:17:31.890 --> 00:17:33.769 in Christ, if you're a born -again believer, 00:17:34.130 --> 00:17:38.329 you are holy. In Christ, you are holy. And when 00:17:38.329 --> 00:17:43.630 God looks at you, he doesn't see the bad things 00:17:43.630 --> 00:17:48.450 that you've done. When you look in the mirror, 00:17:48.509 --> 00:17:50.650 all you see sometimes is the bad things you've 00:17:50.650 --> 00:17:55.329 done, right? You only know, you know, you think, 00:17:55.349 --> 00:17:58.029 and then you live your life shaped upon that, 00:17:58.049 --> 00:18:00.029 but that's self -condemnation, and God has freed 00:18:00.029 --> 00:18:04.009 us from that, amen? If we're in Christ, we need 00:18:04.009 --> 00:18:07.009 to look at ourselves the way God sees us, and 00:18:07.009 --> 00:18:12.970 that's without fault. That's without fault. Because 00:18:12.970 --> 00:18:15.150 when he looks at us, he doesn't see what you 00:18:15.150 --> 00:18:19.009 did. He sees what Jesus did. And in him, come 00:18:19.009 --> 00:18:24.509 on, in him you are holy. In him you have no fault. 00:18:24.589 --> 00:18:28.369 He sees the blood of Jesus that covers all sin. 00:18:30.609 --> 00:18:39.289 He sees his son. 1 Peter 2, 9 and 10. For you 00:18:39.289 --> 00:18:44.000 are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:47.720 holy nation, God's very own possession. And as 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:50.640 a result, you can show others the goodness of 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:55.140 God. For he called you out of darkness into his 00:18:55.140 --> 00:18:58.460 wonderful light. Once you had no identity as 00:18:58.460 --> 00:19:00.980 a people, but now you are God's people. Everybody 00:19:00.980 --> 00:19:03.960 say, I'm God's people. I'm God's people. Once 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:06.200 you received no mercy, now you have received 00:19:06.200 --> 00:19:11.180 God's mercy. So because God is holy in Christ, 00:19:11.299 --> 00:19:15.240 that's now my identity. I identify with Christ. 00:19:15.539 --> 00:19:18.460 That is, and we are holy. That is our position 00:19:18.460 --> 00:19:22.980 in him. But you and I still have a choice, just 00:19:22.980 --> 00:19:25.740 like Israel did, to live according to our God 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:31.779 -given identity or not. All throughout the Bible, 00:19:31.880 --> 00:19:34.819 and especially in Romans 6, I believe gives us 00:19:34.819 --> 00:19:37.259 one of the best pictures of what this looks like. 00:19:38.360 --> 00:19:42.619 Starting with verse 12. Don't let sin control 00:19:42.619 --> 00:19:47.599 the way you live. Don't let it. Everybody say 00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:51.900 let it. Don't let sin control the way you live. 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:55.660 Do not give in to sinful desires. I like what 00:19:55.660 --> 00:19:57.900 the New King James Version says. It says, do 00:19:57.900 --> 00:20:01.200 not let sin reign in your body, which is subject 00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:25.019 to death. Verse 13. 14, love this, sin is no 00:20:25.019 --> 00:20:39.349 longer your master. Think about that. Sin is 00:20:39.349 --> 00:20:44.450 no longer your master. I want everybody to say 00:20:44.450 --> 00:20:47.910 that. Sin is no longer... Oh, you've got to be 00:20:47.910 --> 00:20:51.609 better than that. Say, sin is no longer my master. 00:20:55.930 --> 00:20:58.890 Did Jesus have authority to resist the devil 00:20:58.890 --> 00:21:04.970 when he was on the earth? Did he resist temptation? 00:21:05.089 --> 00:21:07.549 Did he not face the temptations that you and 00:21:07.549 --> 00:21:10.130 I did? He faced them all, and what is it said? 00:21:10.250 --> 00:21:13.650 He had authority over them. He would speak to 00:21:13.650 --> 00:21:20.470 them. It's not his master. And if I'm in Christ, 00:21:20.630 --> 00:21:26.430 guess what? Sin is no longer my master. For you 00:21:26.430 --> 00:21:28.609 no longer live, back to the verse, for you no 00:21:28.609 --> 00:21:31.130 longer live under the requirements of the law. 00:21:32.220 --> 00:21:35.279 Instead, you live under the freedom of God's 00:21:35.279 --> 00:21:40.839 grace. Hallelujah. But I like what Paul says. 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:43.380 Well then, since God's grace has set us free 00:21:43.380 --> 00:21:45.599 from the law, does that mean we can just go on 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:48.079 sinning? Strong language here. Of course not. 00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:52.640 Of course not. Just because you have an insurance 00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:54.559 policy doesn't mean you should drive like all 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:58.380 the crazy people do around here in Orlando. Thinking 00:21:58.380 --> 00:22:01.640 like, oh, it'll be okay. But of course not, right? 00:22:02.819 --> 00:22:08.180 16. Listen. Don't you realize that you become 00:22:08.180 --> 00:22:18.059 a slave of whatever you choose to obey? You become 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:22.440 a slave of whatever you choose to obey. You can 00:22:22.440 --> 00:22:25.740 be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you 00:22:25.740 --> 00:22:28.259 can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous 00:22:28.259 --> 00:22:33.029 living. You have a choice. You have a choice. 00:22:33.950 --> 00:22:36.650 A lot of people say it's just like, well, sin, 00:22:36.829 --> 00:22:39.789 you know, has control over me and I just can't. 00:22:39.789 --> 00:22:42.009 I can't. I can't. I can't. Well, if you continue 00:22:42.009 --> 00:22:45.609 saying you can't, you never will. Because what 00:22:45.609 --> 00:22:49.009 you're saying is that, what you're really saying, 00:22:49.089 --> 00:22:50.930 if you say that you can't and the devil's convinced 00:22:50.930 --> 00:22:54.230 you of that, listen, you're saying that God can't. 00:22:55.009 --> 00:22:57.650 Because that's who he's made you. If you're a 00:22:57.650 --> 00:23:00.390 Christian, you can. You have the authority over 00:23:00.390 --> 00:23:03.089 sin. You have the authority of what has control 00:23:03.089 --> 00:23:07.410 over you. Because what this is saying is that 00:23:07.410 --> 00:23:10.170 you become the slave of whatever what you choose 00:23:10.170 --> 00:23:13.670 to obey. So my question for you this morning 00:23:13.670 --> 00:23:19.890 is what or who are you saying yes to? We all 00:23:19.890 --> 00:23:22.829 need to ask ourselves this question. What are 00:23:22.829 --> 00:23:25.900 we saying yes to? Because most of the problems 00:23:25.900 --> 00:23:29.740 that you and I face is because we've said yes 00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:32.200 to some things that we should have said no to. 00:23:37.579 --> 00:23:40.220 What are we saying yes to? Are we saying yes 00:23:40.220 --> 00:23:45.799 to God? His Word? Seems so simple, right? Are 00:23:45.799 --> 00:23:47.960 we saying yes, but this is like, in practice, 00:23:48.039 --> 00:23:50.160 this is what we got to do as Christians. Are 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:53.819 we saying yes to His Word? The written Word? 00:23:54.430 --> 00:23:57.150 The spoken word that's revealed and comes through 00:23:57.150 --> 00:23:59.609 our hearts through the Holy Spirit? Are we saying 00:23:59.609 --> 00:24:07.190 yes to it? Are we obeying it? Or the world? Because 00:24:07.190 --> 00:24:09.509 everything in life is calling for you to respond 00:24:09.509 --> 00:24:19.250 to it. Everything. This phone right here, it's 00:24:19.250 --> 00:24:21.910 calling for me to respond to it. It's wanting 00:24:21.910 --> 00:24:27.829 my attention, right? During, like, COVID times, 00:24:28.089 --> 00:24:30.029 and I hate talking about COVID times. It just 00:24:30.029 --> 00:24:33.329 seems, like, sad. But during COVID times, my 00:24:33.329 --> 00:24:36.349 wife and I, we still had, we still, thankfully, 00:24:36.470 --> 00:24:39.349 we had our jobs and everything. But we did have 00:24:39.349 --> 00:24:43.390 a lot of free time on our hands. And I remember 00:24:43.390 --> 00:24:46.529 we. We sat down and we ate way too much junk 00:24:46.529 --> 00:24:49.650 food and fast food and like a lot of people. 00:24:49.690 --> 00:24:52.190 And we found some shows. You know, we were talking 00:24:52.190 --> 00:24:54.309 to people like, what shows do you like to watch? 00:24:54.470 --> 00:24:56.769 You know, we're like, what do you want to watch? 00:24:56.809 --> 00:24:59.829 And one of those someone turned us on to was 00:24:59.829 --> 00:25:03.150 NCIS. How many of you ever watched NCIS? I don't 00:25:03.150 --> 00:25:07.259 recommend this show because it's like. 30 billion 00:25:07.259 --> 00:25:10.420 seasons long, and the characters just keep dying 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:13.839 off, and it just keeps going. I don't even know 00:25:13.839 --> 00:25:16.740 how it's still going. We're three generations 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:19.420 past the original characters, but we're still 00:25:19.420 --> 00:25:23.240 cooking. Most shows, they can't make it past 00:25:23.240 --> 00:25:25.579 the first two seasons, but this show just keeps 00:25:25.579 --> 00:25:29.359 going. And I remember during that time, it was 00:25:29.359 --> 00:25:31.920 a very idle time, and we just sat there, and 00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:35.490 it would always call for our attention. And I 00:25:35.490 --> 00:25:37.630 remember there was a point in time when all of 00:25:37.630 --> 00:25:40.609 a sudden I could, we knew that, like, kind of 00:25:40.609 --> 00:25:43.990 controlling us a little bit. Like, it kind of 00:25:43.990 --> 00:25:45.789 started getting a little weird because, like, 00:25:45.789 --> 00:25:47.450 we'd be sitting there and we'd know that, like, 00:25:47.450 --> 00:25:49.410 okay, well, probably need to go bed to around 00:25:49.410 --> 00:25:52.410 10. We'd be like, oh, let's, you know, you finish 00:25:52.410 --> 00:25:54.869 that episode and it's like 10 -10. And then it's 00:25:54.869 --> 00:25:59.029 like, you got 15 seconds to decide. Like, it's 00:25:59.029 --> 00:26:02.690 like a trap. 15 seconds. That's not a whole lot 00:26:02.690 --> 00:26:05.849 of time. To talk to your spouse, to make a decision 00:26:05.849 --> 00:26:08.890 as a couple, that's a lot of pressure. I don't 00:26:08.890 --> 00:26:11.470 like countdown timers. In school, I hated that. 00:26:11.509 --> 00:26:13.769 I failed, like, most of my tests. I hate timers. 00:26:13.769 --> 00:26:15.470 Like, if you put me on a time clock somewhere, 00:26:15.650 --> 00:26:17.470 that's why I'm preaching long. If you put a time 00:26:17.470 --> 00:26:19.089 clock, I'll just shut down. I'll just leave. 00:26:19.930 --> 00:26:22.950 But 15 seconds, and we're like, do you want to 00:26:22.950 --> 00:26:25.410 start? Okay, let's go. Let's watch another one. 00:26:25.970 --> 00:26:28.150 And then all of a sudden it's like four o 'clock 00:26:28.150 --> 00:26:30.650 in the morning. We're still glued wondering if 00:26:30.650 --> 00:26:32.710 that character is going to make it or not. And 00:26:32.710 --> 00:26:35.089 he's the main character of the show. And I knew 00:26:35.089 --> 00:26:36.930 it, but I'm like, I can't sleep until I know, 00:26:37.109 --> 00:26:39.190 you know. And then you go to work and you're 00:26:39.190 --> 00:26:41.029 thinking about it all day long. You're going, 00:26:41.089 --> 00:26:43.130 oh my gosh, is he going to make it? I just don't 00:26:43.130 --> 00:26:47.170 know. What is that? You know, or whatever. And 00:26:47.170 --> 00:26:49.750 before long, and it's funny, right? Like it's 00:26:49.750 --> 00:26:52.150 all happened. We have all experienced it. It's 00:26:52.150 --> 00:26:55.000 true. But there's a point in time when all of 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:57.599 a sudden it becomes like, man, this is like controlling 00:26:57.599 --> 00:27:00.500 a big portion of my mind. Like this is controlling 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:05.480 me in a sense, right? Because I am saying yes 00:27:05.480 --> 00:27:10.079 to it. I am letting it. It was our decision. 00:27:10.980 --> 00:27:13.519 I could have just said, no, I need to go to bed. 00:27:13.700 --> 00:27:16.019 You know, that's the adult thing to do, right? 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:19.579 Need to go to bed. But no, I'm just like, yeah, 00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:24.900 let's, next one. Yeah, next one. And soon, sooner 00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:27.759 or later, all of a sudden it controls me, controls 00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:30.359 what I'm thinking, controls what I'm doing. I'm 00:27:30.359 --> 00:27:33.700 like impacted by it. Now it's controlling, it's 00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:36.519 affecting the way I work in the world and affecting 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:38.799 my relationships with those people around me. 00:27:38.839 --> 00:27:41.960 And it's something so simple, but it's something 00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:47.059 that I chose to let happen, right? It's not saying 00:27:47.059 --> 00:27:49.220 that those things are... in themselves wrong 00:27:49.220 --> 00:27:52.839 but anything that has control over you listen 00:27:52.839 --> 00:27:56.119 be careful of the things that you say yes to 00:27:56.119 --> 00:28:01.339 because they control you and then you become 00:28:01.339 --> 00:28:12.140 their slave and this goes without saying but 00:28:12.140 --> 00:28:17.660 the only thing the only person who should have 00:28:17.660 --> 00:28:24.160 control over you in all ways, in every way. Control 00:28:24.160 --> 00:28:27.500 over your mind, control over your thoughts, control 00:28:27.500 --> 00:28:30.359 over your speech, control over your body. The 00:28:30.359 --> 00:28:34.660 only person that you give that to better be worthy 00:28:34.660 --> 00:28:42.160 of it. It should be God. It should be the Holy 00:28:42.160 --> 00:28:46.390 Spirit. Because what you say yes to rules over 00:28:46.390 --> 00:28:51.130 you. What you say yes to, you bow your knee to. 00:28:51.970 --> 00:28:56.650 You submit yourselves to. And in society, we 00:28:56.650 --> 00:28:59.650 don't like that word submit so much, but it means 00:28:59.650 --> 00:29:03.250 willful obedience. Not according to pleasure, 00:29:03.450 --> 00:29:08.390 but willful obedience to. You willfully bow your 00:29:08.390 --> 00:29:12.500 knee to the Spirit and to God. His way, to His 00:29:12.500 --> 00:29:20.140 will. And you say no to the ways of the flesh 00:29:20.140 --> 00:29:24.859 and the ways of temptation and sin. Sin is not 00:29:24.859 --> 00:29:28.599 your master as a Christian. It's not your master 00:29:28.599 --> 00:29:35.059 unless you give it power over you. Holiness is 00:29:35.059 --> 00:29:39.099 lived in by saying yes to God and no to the desires 00:29:39.099 --> 00:29:46.849 of your flesh. Know to the desires of your temptations. 00:29:49.269 --> 00:29:52.890 1 Peter 1 .16 says, For the Scriptures say, so 00:29:52.890 --> 00:29:55.109 this was repeated in Leviticus and now repeated 00:29:55.109 --> 00:29:58.930 in 1 Peter, saying, You must be holy because 00:29:58.930 --> 00:30:03.069 I am holy. It's a command for God. Hebrews 12 00:30:03.069 --> 00:30:08.589 .14, Work. Everybody say work. It requires effort 00:30:08.589 --> 00:30:11.769 on your part. It's not always pleasurable, right? 00:30:12.619 --> 00:30:17.259 It's willful obedience. Work at living in peace 00:30:17.259 --> 00:30:21.559 with everyone. Work at living a holy life. For 00:30:21.559 --> 00:30:25.380 those who are not holy, listen, this is pretty 00:30:25.380 --> 00:30:29.039 strong. For those who are not holy will not see 00:30:29.039 --> 00:30:32.839 the Lord. So, of course, God has made you holy. 00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:35.420 God has given you the opportunity to see him. 00:30:35.640 --> 00:30:43.289 He has revealed himself to you. If you want to 00:30:43.289 --> 00:30:46.509 know Him more, and if you want to have that personal 00:30:46.509 --> 00:30:48.930 relationship with Him more, if you genuinely 00:30:48.930 --> 00:30:53.650 want to see God at work, moving, operating in 00:30:53.650 --> 00:30:56.490 your life on a day -to -day basis, you're going 00:30:56.490 --> 00:31:01.549 to have to work at living a holy life. You can't 00:31:01.549 --> 00:31:04.970 continually say no to the will and the way of 00:31:04.970 --> 00:31:08.750 the Spirit and expect... God, he'll keep speaking 00:31:08.750 --> 00:31:12.730 to you, but your mind will be so clouded because 00:31:12.730 --> 00:31:16.589 it's controlled by everything else that you will 00:31:16.589 --> 00:31:19.049 not be able to hear him. You will not be able 00:31:19.049 --> 00:31:23.869 to see him in the fullness of who he is. Because 00:31:23.869 --> 00:31:25.730 that's what the devil wants to steal from you. 00:31:28.170 --> 00:31:30.990 He's not willing to steal all these things. If 00:31:30.990 --> 00:31:33.670 he can steal who God is, if he can make you doubt 00:31:33.670 --> 00:31:37.220 who God is, He can steal every blessing and every 00:31:37.220 --> 00:31:41.940 promise away from you. You got to know who God 00:31:41.940 --> 00:31:44.960 is. And the only way that's found is by living 00:31:44.960 --> 00:31:48.980 a life in the Spirit who reveals God to you. 00:31:49.119 --> 00:31:56.059 He reveals God to man. Amen. And when God tells 00:31:56.059 --> 00:32:00.200 you to do something, oh man, this has been so 00:32:00.200 --> 00:32:05.490 heavy lately. When God tells you to do something, 00:32:05.529 --> 00:32:11.690 listen, he gives you the authority and ability 00:32:11.690 --> 00:32:19.390 to do it. Think about this. The things in the 00:32:19.390 --> 00:32:24.230 Bible that you read as you're studying, when 00:32:24.230 --> 00:32:28.769 he tells you to do something, that word gives 00:32:28.769 --> 00:32:32.490 you the authority and the ability to accomplish 00:32:32.490 --> 00:32:37.410 it. Not confined, this is not confined just to 00:32:37.410 --> 00:32:40.009 the natural laws of man. This is confined to 00:32:40.009 --> 00:32:45.849 the laws of the kingdom. You have the authority 00:32:45.849 --> 00:32:48.670 and the ability to do whatever God tells you 00:32:48.670 --> 00:32:54.069 to do. I have the authority then, therefore, 00:32:54.230 --> 00:32:59.210 to have self -control over what controls me. 00:32:59.869 --> 00:33:03.480 Why? It's because I've... Worked and I've done 00:33:03.480 --> 00:33:07.359 and I've, no. It's because God has given me that 00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:10.380 because that is who he is. And when temptation 00:33:10.380 --> 00:33:13.160 comes, when my body says, you know, I really 00:33:13.160 --> 00:33:15.519 want this, I really want this sugar, I really 00:33:15.519 --> 00:33:18.019 want this thing, whatever it be, I can say no. 00:33:19.339 --> 00:33:22.000 When my mind tells me this seems better, this 00:33:22.000 --> 00:33:24.579 seems the right way to process the world, I can 00:33:24.579 --> 00:33:27.019 say no because this doesn't align itself with 00:33:27.019 --> 00:33:29.579 the realities of who God is and the life that 00:33:29.579 --> 00:33:33.519 he promised me. So therefore, I can stand on 00:33:33.519 --> 00:33:36.619 the promise of who he is connected to his person. 00:33:37.500 --> 00:33:41.359 And I can stand in faith and say, no, that is 00:33:41.359 --> 00:33:46.420 not true. Because I believe God. I obey him and 00:33:46.420 --> 00:33:49.019 his word. And this is what matters to me more. 00:33:50.460 --> 00:33:54.220 Therefore, God has control over me. God has control 00:33:54.220 --> 00:33:59.039 over my thoughts, my words, my actions. Amen. 00:33:59.259 --> 00:34:05.589 You give them to God. So, real quickly, and I'm 00:34:05.589 --> 00:34:08.289 done. What does being holy look like? Living 00:34:08.289 --> 00:34:11.510 by the standards of the word instead of the standards 00:34:11.510 --> 00:34:15.409 of the world. It's very simple. Very simple truth. 00:34:15.690 --> 00:34:18.630 We just got to apply it. What does that look 00:34:18.630 --> 00:34:22.030 like? Jesus prayed in John 17, 15 through 17, 00:34:22.369 --> 00:34:25.150 I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, 00:34:25.269 --> 00:34:28.329 but to keep them safe from the evil one. They 00:34:28.329 --> 00:34:31.170 do not belong to this world any more than I do. 00:34:32.170 --> 00:34:36.289 Then he says, make them holy by your truth. Teach 00:34:36.289 --> 00:34:42.349 them your word, which is truth. Amen. What does 00:34:42.349 --> 00:34:45.510 being holy look like? Looks like being led by 00:34:45.510 --> 00:34:48.590 the spirit instead of being led by your flesh. 00:34:51.329 --> 00:34:54.389 Surrendering, yielding, submitting to the spirit. 00:34:56.269 --> 00:35:02.269 Not your flesh. Not. Your mind, your will, and 00:35:02.269 --> 00:35:05.030 your emotions, you're being led by something 00:35:05.030 --> 00:35:09.809 beyond that. Because those things are often indicators, 00:35:09.989 --> 00:35:17.769 but they're terrible leaders. You know, your 00:35:17.769 --> 00:35:22.050 mind, your will, and emotions are often good 00:35:22.050 --> 00:35:27.659 indicators, but they're terrible leaders. They 00:35:27.659 --> 00:35:29.619 will lead you to a place that you don't want 00:35:29.619 --> 00:35:36.039 to go. They'll lead you, pull you, and the enemy 00:35:36.039 --> 00:35:39.300 uses those things to pull you away and to keep 00:35:39.300 --> 00:35:45.199 you from the life that God wants for you. Romans 00:35:45.199 --> 00:35:48.639 8, 6, So letting your sinful nature control your 00:35:48.639 --> 00:35:53.159 mind leads to death, but letting the Spirit control 00:35:53.159 --> 00:35:58.940 your mind leads to life and peace. You want freedom? 00:36:03.679 --> 00:36:06.900 And you want, well, what must I do to be free? 00:36:09.699 --> 00:36:20.679 What does it say? Letting the Spirit. Surrendering 00:36:20.679 --> 00:36:26.239 to the Spirit. Yielding, bowing your knee to 00:36:26.239 --> 00:36:31.050 the Spirit. And saying, God, I take this thought 00:36:31.050 --> 00:36:36.110 captive to the obedience of Christ. And you have 00:36:36.110 --> 00:36:39.349 it. I know this is not your plan for me. I know 00:36:39.349 --> 00:36:42.849 this goes against your word. And I believe your 00:36:42.849 --> 00:36:46.570 word more than anything. And I give up what I 00:36:46.570 --> 00:36:51.969 think. And it hurts. But I lay it down on the 00:36:51.969 --> 00:37:02.800 altar of who you are. That leads to life. The 00:37:02.800 --> 00:37:06.619 life of God. Not just the life of everyone around 00:37:06.619 --> 00:37:09.940 you. Don't crave the life of everyone around 00:37:09.940 --> 00:37:13.300 you. Don't copy their behaviors is what we're 00:37:13.300 --> 00:37:15.500 going to read here in a second. But that leads 00:37:15.500 --> 00:37:19.699 to the abundant life of God. Amen. It's characterized 00:37:19.699 --> 00:37:23.550 by peace. So you are in charge of what you set 00:37:23.550 --> 00:37:26.550 your mind on. You're not in charge, listen, you're 00:37:26.550 --> 00:37:28.550 not in charge of every thought that comes into 00:37:28.550 --> 00:37:31.389 your head, but you're in charge of what you set 00:37:31.389 --> 00:37:33.949 your attention on. Because what you set your 00:37:33.949 --> 00:37:36.630 attention, what you set your focus on will rule 00:37:36.630 --> 00:37:43.130 over you. You have a choice. You say yes to that 00:37:43.130 --> 00:37:47.150 thought, or do you say yes to what God says in 00:37:47.150 --> 00:37:51.010 His Word? You have an opportunity to respond 00:37:51.010 --> 00:37:54.030 to everything that you think. You either act 00:37:54.030 --> 00:37:57.809 upon it or you don't. You either take it to God 00:37:57.809 --> 00:38:05.190 or you don't. Romans 12, 1 and 2. Listen. And 00:38:05.190 --> 00:38:07.210 so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you 00:38:07.210 --> 00:38:12.230 to give your bodies to God because of all he 00:38:12.230 --> 00:38:15.650 has done for you. Let them be a living and holy 00:38:15.650 --> 00:38:18.849 sacrifice, the kind that he will find acceptable, 00:38:19.280 --> 00:38:23.619 For this is truly the way to worship him. Worship 00:38:23.619 --> 00:38:29.260 is not a song. It's not a service. It's a surrender. 00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:35.320 It's a submission. It's obedience is what worship 00:38:35.320 --> 00:38:38.300 is. It's saying, God, not my will, but yours 00:38:38.300 --> 00:38:44.780 be done. It's praying for your kingdom to come 00:38:44.780 --> 00:38:48.940 and your will be done in my life. in my home, 00:38:49.000 --> 00:38:53.539 in my family. Your will to be done in my mind. 00:38:57.199 --> 00:39:04.260 I know it's hard. Verse 2, don't copy the behaviors 00:39:04.260 --> 00:39:10.659 and customs of this world. If God tells me through 00:39:10.659 --> 00:39:12.599 the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, through Paul, 00:39:12.719 --> 00:39:15.739 if he tells me that I... Don't have to copy the 00:39:15.739 --> 00:39:17.679 behaviors and customs of the world. Therefore, 00:39:17.820 --> 00:39:20.960 I have the authority and the ability not to copy 00:39:20.960 --> 00:39:23.400 the behaviors and customs of the world. No matter 00:39:23.400 --> 00:39:28.860 if that seems like the easiest way for me. To 00:39:28.860 --> 00:39:33.679 lean on my own understanding. Right? Because 00:39:33.679 --> 00:39:36.840 if I do what the world does and if I behave like 00:39:36.840 --> 00:39:39.380 the world behaves, I'm going to have everything 00:39:39.380 --> 00:39:45.400 that the world has. If I say, listen. If I say 00:39:45.400 --> 00:39:47.659 what the world says, I'm going to have what the 00:39:47.659 --> 00:39:50.800 world has. And it's always going to be something 00:39:50.800 --> 00:39:53.260 in the natural. And if you want to see something 00:39:53.260 --> 00:39:57.400 supernatural take place in your life, you're 00:39:57.400 --> 00:39:59.099 going to have to live according to a different 00:39:59.099 --> 00:40:10.260 standard. Let God, everybody say let God. Let 00:40:10.260 --> 00:40:14.670 God transform you into a new person. This happens. 00:40:15.050 --> 00:40:18.130 How does this happen? This happens by, we talked 00:40:18.130 --> 00:40:21.329 about one thing. It's about sitting at his feet 00:40:21.329 --> 00:40:25.989 and spending quality, intimate time with him 00:40:25.989 --> 00:40:30.489 each and every day. It's how your mind is transformed. 00:40:30.730 --> 00:40:33.550 It's how you are transformed into a new person. 00:40:33.929 --> 00:40:36.489 Because who you spend the most time with, you 00:40:36.489 --> 00:40:39.010 talk like, you sound like, you begin to look 00:40:39.010 --> 00:40:42.710 like that person. And if you want to look like 00:40:42.710 --> 00:40:47.849 God, guess what? God is holy. And we're talking 00:40:47.849 --> 00:40:51.369 about these things, but for you and I to be holy, 00:40:51.449 --> 00:40:54.489 it means that we want to look like what God looks 00:40:54.489 --> 00:40:58.250 like. It's a restoration of his image upon his 00:40:58.250 --> 00:41:01.309 being. It's us surrendering ourselves to him 00:41:01.309 --> 00:41:04.269 and saying, God, you're everything to me. You're 00:41:04.269 --> 00:41:07.110 who I want to be like. You're my model. I'm not 00:41:07.110 --> 00:41:09.110 going to obey these other things. I'm not going 00:41:09.110 --> 00:41:14.460 to obey my flesh. I put those things under. I 00:41:14.460 --> 00:41:17.239 say no to them, and I say yes to the Spirit, 00:41:17.340 --> 00:41:20.179 His will and His way. And then God transforms 00:41:20.179 --> 00:41:24.099 you into a new person. How? By changing the way 00:41:24.099 --> 00:41:29.860 you think. Then you will learn to know God's 00:41:29.860 --> 00:41:36.860 will for you, which is good, pleasing, and perfect. 00:41:40.139 --> 00:41:49.079 You want to know that your life can be good and 00:41:49.079 --> 00:41:52.179 pleasing and perfect? You have to know who God 00:41:52.179 --> 00:41:56.019 is. It has to be found in who He is. That word, 00:41:56.219 --> 00:41:59.880 the revelation of who He is, you've got to spend 00:41:59.880 --> 00:42:03.219 time with Him. Therefore, you will see your life 00:42:03.219 --> 00:42:06.480 being good and pleasing and perfect because you've 00:42:06.480 --> 00:42:09.550 spent that time. in the relationship with him, 00:42:09.630 --> 00:42:12.969 and he's shown you those things. That's how you 00:42:12.969 --> 00:42:14.610 can have faith that these things are going to 00:42:14.610 --> 00:42:18.590 happen. That's when everything around you looks 00:42:18.590 --> 00:42:23.449 not good and not pleasing and not perfect. You 00:42:23.449 --> 00:42:30.610 say, my God says in his word that my life will 00:42:30.610 --> 00:42:33.849 be good, my life will be pleasing, and it will 00:42:33.849 --> 00:42:36.989 be perfect. It's not dependent on your circumstances 00:42:36.989 --> 00:42:39.630 or what you see in the natural. It's dependent 00:42:39.630 --> 00:42:43.349 upon his word. And by faith, we can take a hold 00:42:43.349 --> 00:42:47.550 of the things that God tells us. By faith, we 00:42:47.550 --> 00:42:51.150 can experience the good and pleasing life of 00:42:51.150 --> 00:43:01.289 God and perfect life of God. If you submit to 00:43:01.289 --> 00:43:03.610 him, the Holy Spirit will use the word of God. 00:43:04.059 --> 00:43:08.480 to change the way you think. When you begin to 00:43:08.480 --> 00:43:11.940 think differently, you will begin to live differently. 00:43:14.400 --> 00:43:18.460 Example of this, when you begin to have the mind 00:43:18.460 --> 00:43:22.199 of Christ and you see people, it changes how 00:43:22.199 --> 00:43:25.539 you perceive them. Even when they do wrong to 00:43:25.539 --> 00:43:27.900 you, you see them through the eyes of God and 00:43:27.900 --> 00:43:32.840 you love them because he loves them despite. 00:43:33.469 --> 00:43:36.510 what they've done to you despite being mistreated 00:43:36.510 --> 00:43:39.989 you have compassion and empathy for them instead 00:43:39.989 --> 00:43:43.909 of harboring bitterness and letting that control 00:43:43.909 --> 00:43:48.210 you and drive a deep root of hate which will 00:43:48.210 --> 00:43:53.510 destroy you you say no to that you say but god 00:43:53.510 --> 00:44:00.719 loves them i love them So what does being holy 00:44:00.719 --> 00:44:03.599 look like? It means living by faith in the promises 00:44:03.599 --> 00:44:07.440 of God instead of living in sin and its negative 00:44:07.440 --> 00:44:11.239 consequences. It rains on the just and the unjust, 00:44:11.599 --> 00:44:15.280 but we can escape the negative consequences of 00:44:15.280 --> 00:44:18.880 sin and everything associated with the law, the 00:44:18.880 --> 00:44:22.500 curse of the law. We escape those things. Those 00:44:22.500 --> 00:44:24.780 things, the natural things of this world, don't 00:44:24.780 --> 00:44:29.860 necessarily have to apply to you. That's what 00:44:29.860 --> 00:44:33.659 we see in Scripture. Those natural things don't 00:44:33.659 --> 00:44:37.059 always have to happen. A and B don't always have 00:44:37.059 --> 00:44:41.099 to equal C in the kingdom of God. It matters. 00:44:41.400 --> 00:44:44.239 Listen, we don't have to, just because there's 00:44:44.239 --> 00:44:47.360 a storm brewing outside my house doesn't mean 00:44:47.360 --> 00:44:49.840 that I better batten down the hatches and I'm 00:44:49.840 --> 00:44:51.880 like, oh, the hurricane or whatever is going 00:44:51.880 --> 00:44:58.190 to blow my house away. Just because it's raining 00:44:58.190 --> 00:45:01.769 outside, just because some tragedies happened, 00:45:01.909 --> 00:45:07.010 just because COVID happened. Guess what? That 00:45:07.010 --> 00:45:09.909 was a season of blessing. I know it wasn't for 00:45:09.909 --> 00:45:13.070 everybody, but for my family and I, it was a 00:45:13.070 --> 00:45:16.369 season of blessing. And it was a season of transition. 00:45:17.110 --> 00:45:19.429 And when a lot of people in the world were having 00:45:19.429 --> 00:45:23.050 a tough time and barely making it, get this, 00:45:23.150 --> 00:45:27.349 God supplied all my needs. According to his riches 00:45:27.349 --> 00:45:34.929 in glory. God protected us. God took care of 00:45:34.929 --> 00:45:38.289 us and blessed us beyond where we currently were. 00:45:38.590 --> 00:45:41.769 So in a time of lack and in a time of famine 00:45:41.769 --> 00:45:53.170 and a time of chaos. Come on now. By faith, you 00:45:53.170 --> 00:45:57.230 can live in the promises of God. and avoid the 00:45:57.230 --> 00:46:00.469 negative consequences of sin. God is the one 00:46:00.469 --> 00:46:03.730 who makes you holy, but he needs your cooperation. 00:46:07.250 --> 00:46:09.489 Psalms 910, and those who know your name will 00:46:09.489 --> 00:46:12.530 put their trust in you, for you, Lord, have not 00:46:12.530 --> 00:46:15.510 forsaken. He will not forsake us when we seek 00:46:15.510 --> 00:46:18.289 him according to his name. I want us all to stand 00:46:18.289 --> 00:46:20.889 up on our feet. Everybody stand up, stretch your 00:46:20.889 --> 00:46:25.480 legs. And I want us all to say these things together, 00:46:25.599 --> 00:46:30.480 these statements, these good confessions. All 00:46:30.480 --> 00:46:36.179 together. My God is Yahweh Mekadeshim. God has 00:46:36.179 --> 00:46:42.000 made me holy. I am set apart for God and His 00:46:42.000 --> 00:46:46.920 kingdom. I make every effort to live a holy life. 00:46:47.460 --> 00:46:52.260 I say no to temptation. I say no to every form 00:46:52.260 --> 00:46:58.079 of evil. I am led by the Holy Spirit. I say yes 00:46:58.079 --> 00:47:01.960 to God. His word and His way.